


President Luthor

by Torched22



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Smallville
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21614458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torched22/pseuds/Torched22
Summary: Superman's life has taken a lot of interesting twists and turns - but not as many as Lex's has.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lex Luthor
Comments: 15
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

"You look bored to tears," Lex said, startling Superman. 

The alien turned, surprised to see his enemy waving away his security team (which he left out in the hallway) as he stepped into the bathroom. "Superman's here, I'm sure he'll protect me," he said with a grin as he shut and locked the door to the immaculate space.

Superman stood at the sinks, palms resting against the cool white marble behind him, eyes wide. "I'm - not bored." 

"Oh, come on, you don't have to lie to me," Lex folded his arms over his chest. 

"I'm not, I just feel..."

"Out of place?" 

Superman stared incredulously, unsure of how Lex could read his mind. Maybe he wasn't the only one with powers. The truth was that he did feel terribly out of place. He hated having to come to events like these. He felt silly, wearing his skin-tight costume, parting the oceans of people as if he were a god. He wasn't a god. He wasn't a god and he didn't like this conversation.

Turning back towards the expansive mirror, he looked at Lex, peering at him from over his right shoulder, then looked at himself. His eyes seemed dull, set in his weary face. Grabbing a silver handle, he turned it and put water in his hands, then ran them through his hair. The water continued to run.

"You can leave you know...if you don't want to be here." 

"Then it'll look like I don't support you," he said flatly.

"Well...you don't."

Clark looked up, meeting Lex's gray eyes in the reflection. 

"What makes you think that?" 

"Oh, I don't know...the fact that you detest me?" 

"I don't," he shook his head, "I don't detest you Lex." 

The softness with which the alien muttered his first name made Luthor's heart flip. Something in his chest tightened and it scared him. He swallowed and took a deep breath in.

"Sorry - I meant, President Luthor." 

"Oh god, don't go calling me that." 

"Well, it's what you are. And it's what you always wanted isn't it? Ruler of the free world - as much power as possible?" Clark had let the water run, but he finally shut it off sharply. The silence was suddenly quite heavy and deafening in the massive, unoccupied, White House bathroom. It was an odd place to have a conversation with the newly elected President of the United States. There were five sinks, five urinals, three white stalls. The floor was marble as well. It was oddly modern for being housed in such a historic building.

"You think that's why I wanted it? The presidency? Just so that I could declare myself leader of the free world? Make a grab for more power?" 

Exasperated, Superman grabbed a towel from the tray between the sinks and turned with another sigh, his red cape fluttering behind him as he leaned against the sinks. "Honestly, I don't know why anyone would want it." 

Lex quirked an eyebrow, surprised at Superman's candidness. 

"Do you know what I'd give? To have less responsibility? Less power?" the Crayola-clad thing said. 

Lex dropped his arms and walked towards the suited hero and peered up those two inches he lacked. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown," Lex said with a grin.

"Good thing we're not a monarchy," Superman said with a smile, feeling his mood lift for the first time all evening. "You'd look quite silly in a crown." 

"Would I? I think I could pull it off," Lex smiled. It was unnerving to have Lex standing so close to him. He wore elegance and power like an invisible cape. He smelled of Bergamot, patchouli, vanilla, jasmine and whiskey. The combination was heady and made Superman feel as though he might understand what humans meant by, "tipsy." Clark flashed back to his time in Smallville, remembering when Lex had done his bowtie for him before prom. He had a fleeting thought that if he were wearing a tie or bowtie right now, Luthor's hands would be out, nimbly adjusting it, just to see the reaction it would paint across his face. 

They stared at each other for a moment, Lex seemingly studying his face as if it contained the secrets of the universe. 

"Do you want to know why I think you really wanted to be president?" Superman ventured, emboldened by this uncharacteristically non-hostile exchange. 

"I would like to know, yes" Lex let his eyes continue wander over the stupidly perfect face in front of him. 

"I think you wanted to be president so that you could be my boss." 

The humor left President Luthor's face, draining away from his expression like water down the drain. His smile dissipated and the flat line of lips took its place.

Panic flared in Clark's chest and he wasn't even sure why. Did he even care what Lex thought of him? Apparently he did, because his brain and mouth scrambled to right the wrong he'd just committed. "I'm - I'm sorry...it was a joke. A bad one."

"Was it? Or is that what you really think?"

"It isn't...It isn't what I really think. I know that you want to make real changes...help people." 

"I do. And do you know what I want most?" 

Superman shook his head.

"I want to get humanity - or at least America - to the point where we no longer need people like you." 

Hurt flashed across Clark's face, and once it disappeared, he looked weary once more. Tired. Older. "I suppose I deserve that," he said, resigned. He brushed past Lex and towards the door, his shoulder sparking where it had touched Lex's. His hand was at the lock, but paused. 

"You know...I know you said that as a dig. But I also know that's one of your greatest fears. I know you hate that people rely on me and honestly..." his voice seemed small, distant, disconnected from himself. "I hate it too sometimes." Clark didn't turn, but he could feel the president's eyes upon him, burning like lasers. "You think humanity's weak if it needs an alien to defend it. You know that there are cruel forces out there - beings that want to hurt Earth - and you don't want to have to rely on me."

Clark didn't mean to, but his ears honed in on Lex's heartbeat. It was the same beat he knew in Smallville. It was the same man, not in 2004, but in 2020. So much had passed between them, and yet, not nearly enough. 

"But whether you like or not, you'll always have to rely on something. Maybe me. Maybe technology and missiles and tanks. Maybe other humans. Soldiers. You'll always need help to get out of something truly ominous...and that's what you hate. Needing help. Not me. I'm just an easy target to pin those feelings of helplessness on. But, Le- Luthor (he caught himself)...even I felt helpless. Even I rely on others. It doesn't make you weak." 

Kent's hand moved, turning the lock, but in stepping back to pull the door out, his back met with a solid wall of Luthor. Lex's hand was on his shoulder, spinning him, pinning him to the door. His eyes shined with that...I don't know whether to cry or bash your head in...fervor. 

Normally, Luthor wouldn't give in to showing any emotion. As a billionaire, he had a lot of experience holding his cards close to the vest. It was Daddy Luthor's Rule #1 - "Never let them see you sweat." And yet, here he was, heart beating furiously, forearm barred against the alien fabric of Superman's chest. It was silly, he knew, the Kryptonian could murder him with a single breath, and even if Lex launched a missile into his chest, it wouldn't so much as scratch him. Still, Superman's surprise allowed for this, allowed for him to be stunned and caught against the door like a deer in headlights.

"Don't pretend that you know me, because you don't," Lex grit out. 

"But I do," Superman said. Those three words contained no malice, no hardness, nothing - nothing but tenderness. It made Lex's chest clench again. It made him want to hit him. It made him want to hug him. 

"Why?" Lex's voice nearly broke on the brittle word. "Why do you think you know me?" his jaw was locked tight, his eyes still glittering, his pulse racing with fury. It was a genuine question borne out of this nagging feeling that he knew Superman...really, actually knew him. Not just from their dust ups or disagreements or mutual distrust of Batman. A tiny little voice at the back of Lex's skull kept whispering, "you know him. You know that frame. You know those eyes, those lips, that voice." 

Lex hated that feeling you get when something so simple slips from one's mind...when something is just on the tip of one's tongue...but one can't remember it, can't grasp it. It was like he was stuck playing catch-up, and any time he grasped for the answers...

"Ahhh," Lex's forearm no longer pinned Superman but instead his hand was reaching for his temple. His eyes were screwed tight and his mouth was open, slack, hissing. Luthor yelped in pain. 

"Hey, what's going on in there," came a voice from the other side of the door. It began to open, but Superman's large hand held it shut and secured the lock. 

"Lex?" Superman hunched over and looked upon his...ex-best friend? enemy? frenemy?...with concern. 

The harder Lex tried to remember how he really knew this Kryptonian, the more his head screamed in agony. Behind his eyes was a metallic vision that smelled like antiseptic and tasted like fear. A doctor coming towards him with shocks, the high voltage whine of thrumming electricity. The feeling of his hands and legs turned to lead, held back, something jammed into his mouth, heart flopping like a suffocating fish. 

"Lex? Talk to me. Please..." Superman's voice had turned scared and desperate. He considered letting in the president's men, but knew that this didn't look good and...well...his brain told him to just keep it shut.

"What's going on? Open the door Superman!" 

"Ev-everything's fine," he tried to sound believable. "He just has a headache, feels a little nauseous, give him a second, please." 

"Jesus Lex, talk to me, if you don't, I swear I'll call an ambulance." 

That seemed to do the trick. Luthor's eyes shot open, he took a gasping breath, hand pulling his tie undone, and he wondered at how he'd gotten halfway to the floor, his back against the cool tiled wall. Superman hunched in front of him with pure panic written all over his face, his ocean blue eyes huge and eyebrows knitted. "Talk to me, please," Superman begged, putting an impossibly cool hand against the side of Lex's burning face. "At least tell you're men that you're okay..."

"I'm -" he stopped, cleared his throat, tried again louder, "I'm fine. Give me five," he said in the direction of the door, noticing that his head was dizzy when he turned it back to Superman. Something tickled his upper lip. It smelled like metal. Reminded him of that phantom memory. Strapped down. 

"Ahh, fuck," he hissed again. Superman's hand shot up and cupped his chin and mouth as if he were trying to keep him quiet, in reality, he was catching the blood falling from his nose. 

"Let's get you to the sink," he said, hand remaining in place. He didn't want Lex to ruin his very, very nice inauguration suit. He helped the president to his shaky feet and guided him to the marble. Superman had to move his hand to turn on the faucet and crimson petals of blood splashed against the white marble. *Drip* *Drip* Lex's eyes stayed glued to that steady patter of blood, watching as the perfectly formed droplets hit and splattered apart. With his good hand, he brought it to the blood and dragged his fingers through it. 

An almost memory - death, destruction, everything dying - an old woman who showed him something and then...died.

"Lex?!" Superman sounded frantic again, he was pulling Lex's face towards his with both hands. "Are you alright? Please, talk to me!" 

Luthor breathed. "I'm fine." 

"The hell you are?! You get this distant look and then you...your nose bleeds more and it's like you go somewhere else. Has this ever happened to you before?" 

"No." 

"Should I get a doctor?" 

"NO!" 

"Okay, okay," Superman's hands were out in a placating manner. It may have been more soothing if those hands weren't covered in Lex's blood. The blood was on his alien suit too, dripping down the "S" on his chest. Lex was breathing heavily, staring at that symbol. "Let's get you cleaned up," he was turning on the water and grabbing one of the towels to wet it. 

He was looking at the towel one moment and Lex the next, realizing blood was about to fall on his suit, he darted his hand out at light speed and caught it as it fell. Rinsing his hands off quickly, he wrung out the towel and held it up to Lex's nose. Seeing Superman cut through space and time like that, so quick, up close was jarring. Then the alien was talking to him again. "This really hasn't happened to you before? Never?" 

"No. Never," his voice was muffled beneath the towel.

"I'd...I'd like to...to x-ray you...if that's okay?" 

Lex's eyes went wide and his heart stuttered at the thought of being so exposed. Ordinarily, he'd flat out refuse, but nothing about today was ordinary. "Okay." 

Superman nodded and then his eyes squinted, almost imperceptibly. He looked Lex up and down and returned his eyes to normal. Several seconds of silence passed before the alien spoke. "You seem fine. Your heart rate is elevated and blood pressure is a little high, but I don't see anything serious." 

Lex nodded. 

Superman's thumb and forefinger came to his chin and tilted his head back. A rush of blood went down Lex's throat and he gagged, pushing down the urge to puke. "I don want my head back," he said, shaking away the alien's cool fingers. 

"Oh, okay, sorry." 

This was interesting...seeing the Man of Steel all nurturing and apologetic. Seeing him panicked. Hearing that panic color his voice and alter the shade of his eyes. 

"I'm worried about you." 

"Don't be," Lex said, wiping at his face and flaking off the dried blood. Luckily, his nose stopped bleeding in two minutes or so, it wasn't that bad. He couldn't help but huff out a laugh. 

"What's so funny?!" 

"That you're worried about me," he smiled. "Three months ago you torched one of my warehouses. A year ago, you punched me...several times...I recall some kicks too." 

Superman didn't feel the need to bring up the fact that Lex was doing very illegal things in that warehouse. Or the fact that Lex had thrown the first punch in that fight with a certain green ring on his hand. Instead he said, "Lex..." 

There it was again, his first name, unnerving. It made his insides feel funny. 

"And since when did you start calling me by my first name?" 

Superman swallowed, a look of guilt crossing his face. "S-sorry," he stood up straighter and resumed typical Superman pose. "But...I do...worry about you...Luthor." 

Lex shoved the bloody towel into the receptacle and stood straighter to match. "Well...don't. I don't need you looking after me, president or not." 

"Right." Superman's head hung lower.

Was Lex hallucinating or did Superman seem disappointed? Luthor moved to exit the bathroom, but Superman stopped him with a gentle hand. 

"Your tie," he nodded towards the purple silk. His tan hands reached out and pulled it out of it's knot so that he could re-do it. As his fingers worked, Luthor scarcely breathed. Superman had such a look of concentration on his face. It was endearing - annoyingly so. Done with his task, the alien brushed invisible dust from his shoulders and gave him a look over before stepping close - way too close.

"If you need anything Lex - er - Luthor," he shook his head as if admonishing himself for the slip, "just call for me and I'll come." 

"Thanks alien," Lex clapped him on the bicep, "but I can take care of myself." Lex's color and swagger had returned and he left Superman's sphere of oxygen, moving fluidly towards the bathroom exit even though every step felt like trudging through mud. Opening it, Clark heard the clamoring of his security detail and even caught an evil glare from one of them. 

"Of course," Clark muttered after he was gone. "Of course you can take care of yourself. You don't need anyone."

The door behind him opened and made him jump and spin around.

"Oh, Superman!" a voice said, delighted. 

"Senator Wimbley," Superman acknowledged with a nod and a smile. 

He turned back towards the sink and wiped the blood off the counter, then rinsed his hands. 

"Great to see you. You ought to try the caviar," the man said, walking towards a stall.

"Great to see you too," Clark smiled and made his way to the door. "I'll give it a shot." 

He pushed the door open and walked back towards the ocean of finely dressed men and women. 

Superman waded through the crowd. "Where's everyone going?" he asked the wife of a general. She smiled at him, "to the tables of course, it's dinner time." 

"Oh, right," he smiled back, hiding his panic. He didn't know where he had been seated for this event. The military didn't exactly love him and he didn't know anyone else. 

"You're such a lucky duck," she continued. 

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" 

"Because you're sitting with the president," she nodded towards the main table and Clark's body jolted with the same sensation it did when he punched through the sound barrier.

"Ah, right," he said with a nervous smile. "It seems I am."


	2. Chapter 2

Apparently, being seated at the President's table at an inauguration dinner didn't mean much. Lex barely even ate, he didn't speak to Superman again for hours, and he spent most of his time floating between tables, speaking with guests, taking photos...

Clark couldn't really take it anymore, so as soon as the firsts guests left, Superman attempted to excuse himself. Unfortunately, Lex was back at the table and offering up a glare at this information. 

"Why leave so soon?" Lex asked. The table was quiet, the guests' eyes focused on dessert, but their ears piqued and awaiting Superman's answer. 

Clark attuned his ears for a moment, employing his super hearing to give him an excuse to leave. Unfortunately...he got more than he'd bargained for.

"I heard something...an earthquake in Jakarta," he stood. 

"You can hear an earthquake ten thousand miles away?" one of the guests asked. Everyone at the table was staring at him in dumbstruck awe. 

"Uhm. Yes." 

Lex stood, concerned. "How serious was it?"

The hero lowered his head and cinched his eyes closed to focus. He shook his head. ' "I'm hearing too many conflicting answers. I need to go. I'm sorry." 

"Jakarta isn't the United States," Lex said. 

"I know...but I can't just ignore it. There are people buried and screaming for help." 

"We need to have a meeting - sometime very soon - about how much you can do and in which countries you can do it." 

Superman grit his jaw, he felt his heartbeat accelerate. "I've never been limited before. Countries tend not to care about political relations when I'm saving their citizens' lives."

"It wasn't a question and this isn't a negotiation. You belong to the United States." 

"You mean I belong to you," he seethed.

"If that's how you prefer to think of it," Lex purred.

Clark took a deep breath in and straightened, assuming his most intimidating pose. "Just in the time you spent arguing with me, at least fifteen people died," he growled. People at the table gave shocked little gasps at that tidbit of info.

Because he was so righteously pissed off, he let his body rise a few feet from the floor. It seemed to work in the, 'piss Lex off,' department and now, the entire room was looking at him. "How about you have your people call my people," he gritted before super speeding out of the opulent dining room and outside. He flew upwards, hating that the paparazzi outside the White House gates were snapping pics of him. 

Once in the air, he burst into supersonic speed, not caring that the party guests would hear the boom overhead. It was a childish exhibit of his raw power that he enjoyed immensely.

Sadly, the situation in Jakarta was quite serious. It broke Clark's heart to see so many people suffering. So many were dead...

At the party, Lex had scooped up the head of the Red Cross and ushered him into one of his many new offices to inform him of the breaking news. The office Luthor brought him to had a solid wall of TV's with the capability of tapping into nearly any country's news stations. He flipped four screens on and caught sight of the wreckage. A little bit later and the cameras were showing his dinner guest landing amongst the devastation. 

It took Superman approximately 27 minutes to traverse 10,000 miles...Lex filed that little fact away for later. He had a whole stack of research on the alien and his capabilities and more to add to it. 

Lex couldn't stay long, he had to get back to his dinner to see his guests off....after calling President Widodo of course and offering aid. Hell, his greatest tool was already there helping. And what a tool he was... Lex felt humiliated after Superman's silly exit. He had every right to have a conversation with Kal-El about where he offered his aid. 

Unfortunately, Superman was smart enough to see where Lex's calculating and mischievous brain was headed. He could use Superman like a political relations bargaining chip. Want Superman's help for your next great natural disaster? Then sign the nuclear weapons deal or agree to a ceasefire or forget your trade embargo. 

Was using Superman as a tool a bit underhanded? Probably, but incredibly important things were on the line, things like not getting nuked. 

Lex spent the next week adjusting to his new role and watching coverage of the Jakarta recovery efforts. Superman was splashed all over the news, both in the US and abroad. It was absurdly obnoxious. Because of the time difference, Kal-El would help abroad and then come back to Metropolis to help the city. His city. That way, no one could accuse him of abandoning "his people." When in reality, Clark found it rather absurd that anyone thought they could "lay claim" to him. He didn't belong to anyone. 

Luthor had his team contact Superman to set up a meeting - about four weeks post-earthquake. Clark's fury at Luthor hadn't faded over those four weeks. If anything, it intensified. Who did Luthor think he was? 'The President of the Free World,' his mind shot back. He only growled his dissatisfaction and tried to stay busy. 

Kent's life was not going according to his plan. Journalism was taking it's final breaths, it's death-rattle lived in silly celebrity stories and cat videos. No one wanted the news anymore, and because of the president before Lex...the term "fake news" had thrown a wrecking ball through the industry. Now, if someone didn't like what the news was, what the truth was, they just called it a lie. It destroyed papers, it crushed reporter's careers. 

Clark Kent turned in his two-weeks notice to the Daily Planet and his heart broke because of it. 

He couldn't "just" be Superman...he'd lose his mind if he had to be the hero 24/7. He liked being Clark. He liked writing. So what was he going to do now? 

The email came to his 'super' email as he was surfing Indeed for jobs. Lex Luthor had scheduled a meeting with Superman on Friday. 

Clark folded his arms and huffed a laugh. 'To hell with Lex,' he thought. He took a long sip of his piping hot coffee from his favorite Daily Planet mug and opened a reply box. 

"Thanks but no thanks." he typed. "-S"

He hit send and felt a smug satisfaction roll through him. He was tired of being America's Boy Scout. He envied Bruce's freedom, his ability to be an ass. He wanted to be an ass too.

Lex was at his desk reviewing his next speech when a knock came at the door. "Uh - Mr. President," one of his aids had his head in the door. "Can I come in?" 

"Sure Tyler," Lex motioned him in. 

"I-uhm...well..."

"For fuck's sake, just spit it out," Lex said, looking up at the aid who seemed mildly terrified. "I don't bite, I promise." 

"Okay, well...your invitation to Superman to meet with you...he replied to it." 

"Did he?" Lex leaned back in his chair. 

"Yes...and...he declined." 

"He what now?" Lex said incredulously, leaning forward, hands together on his desk. 

"He declined." 

"What exactly were his words Tyler?" 

"He said, and I quote, 'Thanks but no thanks,' and signed it, '-S-.'"

"Did he now," Lex said darkly. 

"Yes sir." 

"Well," Lex stood and fastened a button on his suit jacket, "I'd like you to clear the rest of my day, and tomorrow too. And have my jet ready to go within the hour."

"Didn't Carter have a talk with you about using Air Force One?" 

"I don't want a spectacle Tyler, I just want to get from point A to point B in the least amount time, and that's what my lear jet is for."

Tyler continued to look concerned. 

"Will you be headed to Metropolis then?" 

"Yes." 

"Should I inform Superman?" 

"No." 

"Yes sir," he disappeared. Lex grabbed his pre-packed overnight bag and went for a fresh cup of coffee. 

+Metropolis+

Four hours and thirty six minutes later, Lex was in his jet black Ferrari GTC4Lusso, weaving through the streets of Metropolis at breakneck speeds. He had intentionally lost his detail and would surely catch hell for it later. But what could he say? I need to go see Superman and I can't have you knowing about, now can I? So he gave them the slip at the airport and paid one of his employees an entire year's salary to get him his car and help him get the drop on his own presidential team. 

He pulled up in front of an unassuming apartment complex and climbed out of his car. People on the sidewalk stopped to gawk and whisper things like..."isn't that President Luthor? What's he doing in Metropolis? What's he doing alone? Damn, look at that car..."

He walked quickly to the door and was grateful for the woman who was exiting the building and held the door for him. "I hope you only do this for me," he smiled. "Of - of course Mr. President," she said dumbstruck. He continued his brisk pace up to the fourth floor, loving the chance to take the stairs and stretch his legs. He came to a stop in front of 412 and stretched out a black gloved hand. 

Lex knocked three times and waited. 

After a few moments and the shuffling of socked feet on the hard wood floor, he heard the knob turn. 

Clark opened the door, irritation giving way to shock and confusion, he dropped his coffee mug. It thwacked against the hardwood floor and broke into several pieces. Luckily, he'd drank most of the coffee. 

"Lex?" 

"Or Mr. President works as well." 

Clark stuck his head out into the hallway and looked left and right, before pulling Luthor inside. Lex had to step over the shattered mess. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" 

"Well that's not a very warm welcome is it?" 

"Lex," Clark said exasperated. "I haven't seen you since your press conference five months ago. What are you doing in Metropolis? What are you doing at my place?" 

"Oh, so we're playing that game?" Lex said with an eyebrow quirked. 

"What game?" 

"The one where you pretend I don't already know that you're Superman." 

Clark's face went bedsheet white and his heart forgot to beat for a few seconds. "What are you talking about?" 

"Really, keeping up the charade isn't necessary," Lex added, walking into the small kitchen to retrieve paper towels. "This entire trip has been worth it just to see the look on your face," he said kneeling. Ever aware of his manners, Kent joined him on the floor, mopping up the spilled coffee and picking up the shards of ceramic. 

"Look Lex, I don't know..."

"Oh, yes you do," Luthor joined Clark in the kitchen to throw away the paper towels and then rise his hands off in the sink. "At this point, you're insulting both your intelligence and mine. Also, you easily could have caught that mug and the coffee in it."

"I couldn't...I didn't know you knew." 

"Well I do." 

"For how long?" 

"Oh, I don't know, about four years?" 

"But I've only been Superman for five years!" 

"Yeah. And?" 

"How did you figure it out?" 

"Does it matter?" 

"Yes!" 

Lex really didn't want to dive into that conversation at the moment. He didn't want to tell Clark about his headaches and flashbacks or the fact that his heart flipped and his arousal skyrocketed around Superman...and when he had met Clark Kent for the first time, his body had the very same visceral reaction. He didn't want to go into how he spied on Superman or compiled a database of information on him. 

"I'm an intelligent man Clark. I started doing research into my own past..." 

Clark's face paled further. 

"And I started doing research into Superman. Especially into Lois who seemed to have all the Superman by lines. And it was funny that Clark Kent was never at press conferences when major natural disasters were happening. He was never at work when Lois and Superman were meeting."

"So...that's how you figured it out? I doubt that. I used super speed constantly to create the illusion that both existed at the same time."

Lex shuffled and cleared his throat. He couldn't admit the arousal aspect that truly led to his discovery.

"Look, this discussion isn't why I'm here." 

Clark stood straighter and donned a frown. Lex tried not to think about how attractive he still looked with disapproval scrawled on his face. 

"Why are you here? Because I turned down your invitation?" 

"Clark...Kal-El...I know that you still think of me as the Metropolis magnate, but I'm the President of the United States. You don't *get* to turn down a meeting with me."

"So you say jump, and I have to jump? You say bark, and I have to bark."

"You're looking at this all wrong." 

"Am I?" 

"Yes."

"Why? Because I said jump instead of kneel?" 

Lex gulped, arousal sizzling through him like a boil. He pictured Superman on his knees and it almost made his own knees buckle. He shifted uncomfortably as his cock filled too fast. 

Clark couldn't shut off his powers, not as Clark, not ever. So he heard Lex's heart speed. He assumed it sped out of anger, until his nose picked up a change in Lex's body chemistry, until he noticed the way Lex's pupils dilated and his breath quickened. He was aroused... Clark mentioned kneeling and it...aroused Lex. Holy shit. 

"I think you should reframe our new relationship Superman," Lex took a step forward. 

"We don't have a relationship." 

"We have to have one, for the sake of the United States. Put your hatred for me aside." 

"I don't hate you." 

"You sure as shit don't like me." 

"I don't like being told who I can help, where I can go, what I can do." 

"Whether you like it or not," Lex seethed, "you are a weapon." 

"Oh god," Clark sighed and rolled his eyes. He really hated how Lex saw things sometimes. Most times.

"You are," he ground out, stepping even closer, expecting Clark to back down, but he wasn't. Unfortunately, it made Lex realize how wonderful he smelled and how brilliantly blue his eyes were and how massive his muscles were beneath the red Met U t-shirt. "And you belong to the United States." 

"I belong to no one," he growled, the vibrato of it going straight to Lex's cock. 

"Oh I don't know," Lex slipped into a purr, "I think you could rather enjoy belonging to me," his eyes slid down Kent's body and Clark had to suppress a full-body shudder. 

Clark gulped and cursed the fact that Lex was in his space, catching him off-guard, dressed like a model and flirting better than a hooker. 

"And what if I don't agree to be your toy?" 

Lex let out a considering, "hmmm" in response as he thought it over. 

"I think it would be in your best interest to cooperate with me - with the United States. Public perception of you is everything...and while people currently view you as beloved, filling their kids' rooms with action figures and bedspreads, everyone knows that you have the capability of being...dangerous." 

"So you'd run some smear campaign on me?" 

"No, not exactly," Lex said lightly, "that's far too tacky." He held up a finger, "but, people may not see you as America's Boy Scout anymore if you're not cooperating with the President." 

"I don't think the people even know who their president is," Clark shot.

"Just like people don't know who Superman really is? Clark?" he let the 'k' sound smack off his lips and echo in the small space.

Clark's breathing was now audible he was so pissed. He stepped close enough that there was no space left between he and the president, his nose nearly touching the other man's. 

"You're threatening to reveal my identity?" 

"I didn't say that at all."

"You implied it," he gritted. 

"If I was going to out you, I would have done it four years ago."

"No, I know you. It's a card in your arsenal now that you're president. One you'd gladly hold me hostage with." 

Lex's eyes did that ... shift ... again. They darkened. "I bet you'd look good as a hostage," his pink tongue darted out to wet his lip. 

"Wh- what is wrong with you? You're flirting with me? Blackmailing and flirting with me at the same time?" 

"I'm a big fan of multitasking." 

"You're evil is what you are."

Lex's body was now pressed up against Clark's, his arousal evident, his mouth nearing the alien's ear as he whispered, "Am I Clark? Evil? Because I think if I were truly evil...I'd have you bent over my desk in the oval office, naked ass beneath my Kryptonite-ringed hand, receiving slaps for being the ornery brat you are." 

This time, Kent failed to put a stop to the shudder that rolled through him like an earthquake. 

Maybe Lex was evil after all, he decided to move his lower body over, line his hard cock up with Clark's, and grind into the man of steel. It all happened very quickly, too quickly for Kent to protest, logic told him he should, but his feet wouldn't budge to move away. The friction against his trapped arousal felt so unbelievably good. 

Lex took a deep breath in, near Clark's neck, before stepping back. 

"You don't get to blackmail me or - or use sex to..."

"Get my way?" Luthor interrupted. "Fine, if you say so, but I rather think you'd enjoy me getting my way," his voice was far lower than normal and it was doing odd things to Superman's insides. "I think part of you wants to relinquish control to me..."

"You think wrong." 

"Oh, I don't think so. I bet you'd love a nice little collar with just the tiniest fleck of Kryptonite in it. Or it could be put into handcuffs...or..." Lex tilted his head and stared unabashedly at Clark's tented slacks, "or into a cock ring." 

A little noise came out from the back of Clark's throat and he had to jet a hand out to grab onto the counter. Lex was enjoying this too much to stop. 

"Would you like the President on his knees sucking your cock, Clark? Or is the thought of me with a metal fist in your hair, fucking your mouth as you kneel before me in that primary colored abomination more arousing?"

A burst of a blush had erupted on Clark's cheeks and his hands were shaking. Hell, his whole body would be shaking if he let it. He had spent so much time being angry at Lex...he thought Lex was angry right back, so this was certainly a new development. "Sex isn't a way to deal with anger," he tried. 

"I disagree," Lex smiled. 

A deafening knock came at Clark's apartment door and it opened a few seconds later. It was the president's detail, and they looked pissed. 

"Really? What are you thinking Luthor?" his head of security was ready to explode. "You couldn't even take a cab or wear a hat and glasses or something? Hell, your Ferrari is parked out front with the license plate with your name on it. Are you trying to get killed?"

"Oh relax Henry," Lex soothed. "The majority of the people in this city love me." 

"Yeah, well, it only takes one nut." 

"Don't forget, Superman lives here..."

Clark felt his stomach flip and drop. 

"This is his city after all...I doubt he'd let anything happen to me." 

"I wouldn't be so sure," Clark said sourly, "I hear he voted for the other guy." 

Lex just laughed. "So Clark, do we need another few minutes?" his eyes flickered to the bulge in Kent's pants.

"No, I think you should go." 

Lex nodded. Clark caught the flash of disappointment even though it lasted less than a second. He was disappointed too. 

"I will see you soon Mr. Kent."

"You will?" 

"Yes. I've arranged for you to come to DC to discuss that job opportunity. How does Friday sound? Good? Good. See you then," Lex brushed past him without another look and was out the door with his security team before Clark could answer.


End file.
